European Tapestry Weaving

Timeline

1. c. 1200–1300Arras · ArrasIn the 13th century Arras became famous for high-quality wool tapestries, and the word 'arras' became a generic term for tapestry in many languages; workshops produced religious and heraldic wall hangings in low-warp all-wool weaving, exported to England and France via the Champagne fairs and North Sea trade.
2. c. 1400–1470Brussels · BrusselsIn the 15th century the dukes of Burgundy strongly patronized Flemish tapestry; Brussels and Bruges workshops took on large narrative cycles such as the Unicorn series, and tapestry became a core furnishing of court ceremony and diplomatic gifts.
3. c. 1500–1600Brussels · BrusselsIn the 16th century Brussels workshops wove from painters' cartoons, exporting tapestries to Spain, England, and the Papal States; series orders from the Habsburgs and the popes brought Flemish tapestry to its peak of scale and subject diversity.
4. c. 1600–1700Paris · Île-de-FranceIn the 17th century the rise of French royal workshops such as the Gobelins weakened Flanders' tapestry advantage; war and economic turmoil declined the traditional Arras–Brussels system, and tapestry gradually gave way to wall textiles and oil paintings as furnishings.